The NRL is reportedly set to push ahead with its plans to restart the 2020 season in May but the plan to cut the competition to 15 rounds and finish with a grand final on its scheduled date is being re-examined after Nine's stunning broadside for the game's leaders this morning.
The ARL Commission is locked in discussions this afternoon following a strong statement from the free-to-air broadcaster that said it considered the current TV deal "unfulfilled".
While it had been reported that meeting would tick off a plan to restart a shortened competition on May 21, the public reproach from Nine is understood to have had an influence.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald the NRL will not proceed with a plan without a new agreement with its broadcast partners over the value of the rights deal.
The report states that the NRL is now considering fulfilling its contractual obligations and playing a full season, with a further 22 rounds to be played and the likelihood that the competition would be pushed to a November finish.
The change of approach will likely push out the start date by at least a week, with the NRL season to resume on May 28 or even in the first week of June.
While some key elements of the NRL's plan for a resumption appear likely to be scrapped, the proposal to centralise the competition in Sydney will go ahead if it is given formal government approval.
According to the Herald, that would allow all teams to remain home based and fly in and out of Sydney on game day charter planes. The Warriors would likely be the exception to that plan, with two-week isolation periods at either end set to force them to base themselves in Sydney.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-restart-season-plan-broadcast-partners/18bb7931-9d82-4f29-b3dd-ceda6e432b08
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